The standard state-of-the-art ski pole for the past two or three decades comprises a hollow, tapered aluminum shaft, painted with enamel and having a basket and tip mounted on one end and a hand grip mounted on the other end. Such a pole weighs about 6.5 ounces and has a tensile strength of about 50,000 psi.
The principal disadvantage of the traditional aluminum ski pole is the fact that it is relatively easily bent; i.e., the aluminum shaft is soft and tends to permanently deform or even collapse under the bending loads which are commonly encountered during skiing. A partially collapsed shaft exhibits greatly reduced bending resistance and cannot be restored to its original shape and strength. Moreover, the paint is relatively easily chipped off and the resulting exposure of bare aluminum is unsightly.
Another disadvantage of the aluminum shaft is its axial rigidity and inability to absorb shock loads. To compensate for this, one recently introduced pole includes an expensive axial shock absorber near the hand grip.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,201 issued in 1981 to Stout discloses a filament/resin composite ski pole comprising an annular array of continuous reinforcing filaments or fibers embedded in a synthetic resin matrix and formed into a hollow tubular shaft by the process known as pultrusion. The filaments extend rectilinearly along the length of the shaft.